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“Is somebody there?”
There was a scrambling sound, but no answer.
Rex whined, the hairs on his back standing up in a ridge. Feeling a bit silly, but not willing to take a chance, Alex removed his Glock from its holster, finding confidence in its weight even as he sent a silent prayer he wouldn’t have to use it. Crouching down, he aimed his flashlight under the wooden structure, his gun behind it. He couldn’t see anyone, but there was an alcove under a support beam that was hidden from his light. He’d have to go around.
He circled around to the other side, leaving Rex pacing back and forth at the foot of the stairs. Repeating his crouch and waddle move from before, Alex inched up under the overhang, scanning the area with his light. Nothing.
Woof!
Alex jumped, rapping his head on the rough boards of the stairway. A lightning bolt of pain shot through his skull as he quickly crab-crawled back out of the cramped space beneath the stairs. He heard Rex bark again and rolled the rest of the way out, careful to keep the gun steady.
“What is it, boy?”
A quick series of staccato barks answered him from the landing above.
“Stop! Sheriff’s Deputy.” The logical part of his mind knew that it was probably just a kid sneaking a smoke or a surfer who had passed out after too many drinks, but he’d had more than one close call in his career and wasn’t going to chance it. Standing up, cursing the sand spurs now embedded in his skin, he followed the dog’s line of sight.
There, clearly visible in the breaking dawn, was the menace that had his dog, and him, so worked up. A tiny kitten, barely more than a ball of fluff, was huddled against the top step.
“Rex, hush!” he commanded, not wanting the big dog to scare it back under the stairs. He was not going into those sand spurs again if he could help it.
The kitten was gray, its fur nearly the same shade as the weathered boards he was clinging to. If Rex hadn’t made such a fuss, the kitten could have been directly underfoot and Alex would have missed it. Putting the dog into a down-stay, he dropped the leash and tucked away the gun and flashlight. Then he eased up the stairs as quietly as his heavy boots would allow.
The kitten watched him, eyes wide, but didn’t run. A small mew was its only reaction, and even that seemed half-hearted. The pathetic creature looked awfully weak. The temperature was only in the mid-forties right now and had been significantly colder overnight. Plenty of strays did just fine, but this one seemed way too small to be out in the cold on its own.
Scooping the kitten up, he cradled it against his chest with one hand, then leaned down and retrieved Rex’s leash with the other. The kitten was trembling, obviously cold if nothing else. Loading Rex into the car, he mentally said goodbye to the sleep he’d intended to catch up on. It looked like he was going to be seeing that pretty veterinarian again after all.
* * *
Cassie stared at the teakettle with bleary eyes, as if she could make the water boil faster through sheer force of will. She’d tossed and turned again last night. Maybe at some point she’d get used to the nightmares.
She often dreamed about the accident that had left her father in the hospital and herself with a mild concussion and a mountain of worry. At first, they’d feared her father’s injuries were permanent, but he was home now and steadily getting better. She’d hoped that would be enough to stop the dreams from haunting her. But so far, no such luck.
But last night the dream had changed. The broken glass and screeching tires were the same as always, brought back in minute detail to terrorize her, but this time the sirens had triggered something new. Instead of the middle-aged deputy who was normally part of the nightmare, there was someone else. Alex Santiago, the new deputy she’d embarrassed herself in front of.
Suddenly, instead of ambulances and flashing lights, there had been stars and the crash of the ocean. They were alone on the beach, kissing as if there was nothing more important than the feel of skin against skin, tongue against tongue. She’d been unbuttoning his uniform when the blaring of her alarm had woken her up.
She had lain there, hot and trembling, for several minutes before forcing herself to shut the dream out of her head. There was probably some deep, psychiatric reason her subconscious was twisting her nightmare into something totally different, but there’d been no point in lying there, trying to figure it out.
So she’d forced herself out of bed and into a quick shower before throwing on her usual uniform of casual khaki pants and a simple cotton blouse. Now she was desperate for some tea and maybe a bite of breakfast. She had another thirty minutes before Emma would be waking up, and she intended to enjoy the quiet while she could.
The tea was still steeping in her mug when she heard a knock at the door. Dunking the bag one last time, she tossed it in the trash as she made her way to the front of the house. Peering through the wavy glass of the peephole, she could just make out the blue uniform of the Palmetto County Sheriff’s Department. Her mouth turned dry, another flashback threatening her still drowsy mind.
Her heart thudded hollowly as she turned the lock. Why would there be a cop on her doorstep? Had something happened to her parents? The clinic? A neighbor? Her mind darted through possible scenarios as she opened the door. Surely this wasn’t because of the accident? In the beginning, there had been what seemed like countless interviews and questions, but that had all ended months ago.
Taking a deep, cleansing breath, she swung open the door. There on the stoop was Alex, looking just as he had in her dream. The fear retreated, chased off by other, equally potent stirrings. Her cheeks heated in embarrassment, not that he could possibly know that she’d dreamed about him. Keeping her voice cool, she asked, “Is there a problem, Deputy?”
He smiled at her, all male energy and smooth charm. “I suppose it’s too early for this to be a social call?”
“I’d say so.” She noticed the shadows under his eyes and realized he’d probably just come off the night shift. “I’m assuming you have a professional reason for banging on my door at dawn. If you could share it so I can get back to my breakfast, that would be helpful.”
Before he could answer her, she caught the weirdest impression of movement under his department-issued windbreaker. “What on earth?”
At that moment, a tiny, gray head squirmed out of the neck of the jacket and nuzzled his chin. Darn. Now she had to let him in.
“I know it looks strange, but the little guy was shivering. I thought I could keep him warm in my jacket, but he doesn’t want to stay put.” He grabbed hold of the kitten as it wriggled its way farther out of the coat.
“Well, come on in. Let’s take a look at him.” She motioned for him to continue back to the kitchen, then shut the door behind him. “Where did he come from and how long ago did you find him?” She kept her tone and actions professional, using her clinical manner to maintain some emotional distance. He might look like a Latin movie star, but the Palmetto County Sheriff’s Department logo on his shirt was a glaring reminder of the chaos she was currently embroiled in. She’d help the kitten, then send him on his way, before he or the animal got too close.
Alex followed her, his large stature making her cozy cottage feel small. “Rex found him under one of the beach access staircases. We’d stopped for a few minutes and he refused to leave. Somehow he knew the little guy needed help.”
“Is Rex your partner?” The name didn’t ring a bell.
“Yeah,” Alex answered distractedly as he attempted to remove the kitten’s claws from his uniform shirt. “He’s waiting out in the car.”
“He didn’t want to come in?” Had the animosity toward her gotten that bad?
“Oh, he wanted to, but I figured it was better not to totally overwhelm you at this hour of the morning.”
Right. More likely his partner just wanted to avoid her. Well, too bad. She was tired of feeling like a pariah in her own town. “It’s going to take me a little while to check the kitten out, so you might as well tell Rex to come in. No reason to sit out in the cold.”
“You’re sure?”
“Of course.”
While he fetched his partner, she went to the hall closet to retrieve her medical bag. It was on the top shelf, wedged next to a box of random sports equipment. And a bit too heavy to snag one-handed. She was on her toes, the kitten snuggled firmly in one arm, when she heard the front door open behind her.
Giving up, she turned around to ask for help. “Hey, could one of you hold the kitten while I—”
Her voice died in her throat. Standing directly in her path was the largest German Shepherd she had ever seen, taking up most of the limited real estate in her tiny foyer. Suppressing a completely unprofessional squeal at the sudden intrusion, she cautiously observed the behemoth before deciding the doe-eyed canine meant no harm. Probably. Intuition and years of experience gave her the courage to edge around him, keeping the kitten out of his reach, just in case.
She was relieved to find Alex in the foyer, apparently not eaten by the mammoth canine. “You aren’t going to tell me Rex found that guy under a staircase, too, are you?” No way was this regal giant a foundling.
“What?” Alex’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “Found who?”
She waved her arm toward the dog. “Him. Where did he come from? Obviously your partner didn’t find him when he found the kitten.”
Alex’s full-throated laugh filled the air, erasing the tired lines that had creased his face a moment before. Unable to resist smiling along with him, she rubbed the kitten’s head with her free hand and waited to be let in on the joke.
“Rex is my partner.” When she only raised her eyebrows, he continued, “I mean, the dog is Rex. My partner.”
Understanding belatedly wound its way through her sleepy brain. “You’re a K-9 officer?”
“Yeah. I just assumed a local veterinarian would have known that.”
She thought back. She had heard rumblings of a new K-9 unit, but she would have sworn the idea had been tabled when it was determined there wasn’t enough money in the budget. “I thought the department couldn’t afford a K-9 unit? Trained dogs have to cost a fortune.”
Alex ruffled the big dog’s fur, a wry smile on his face. “He’s worth every penny, but you’re right. He’s way outside Palmetto County’s price range. The department was able to get federal and state grants to cover the purchase cost, and Miami-Dade County let me train with its K-9 unit on my off time before I came. The department still has to foot the ongoing costs for veterinary care and our continued training, but that’s less expensive than paying the salary for another officer. In the long run, having a K-9 on staff should save the department manpower and money.”
Watching Alex’s eyes shine with pride in his job and his dog had her swallowing hard. She’d been too quick to think she was being avoided, to assume she was being treated badly. Had she gotten so cynical that she assumed the worst of everyone?
If so, she needed to stop. That wasn’t who she wanted to be or what she wanted to teach her daughter. Which meant she needed to bite the bullet and at least try to be open-minded, try to be friendly. Even with the sexy cop standing in her living room.
* * *
If Alex had been a little less tired, maybe he would have picked up on Cassie’s confusion earlier. As it was, the look on her face when she’d found the hundred-plus-pound dog in her house had been priceless. He gave her credit, though; she’d stood her ground without flinching. She’d correctly read Rex’s body language and known he wasn’t a threat, despite his size. Heck, even some of his fellow officers were skittish around Rex.
Tough and beautiful. A dangerous combination. He’d once described his ex, a fellow cop, the same way. Then she’d dropped him for an assistant DA and he’d shifted his assessment from tough to cold-hearted. But Cassie, although she’d been less than friendly when he’d first met her, didn’t seem to have the calculating nature that had doomed his relationship with his ex. Cassie tried to hide them, but her emotions were right there on the surface, reflected on her face like the rays of the sun off the ocean.
She had her eyes closed as she felt her way over the kitten’s body from head to tail. Watching her slender but capable fingers skim the soft fur had him wondering what her touch would feel like. Her husband, if she did turn out to be married, was one lucky bastard.
Who probably wouldn’t be happy to find a stranger staring at his wife this way.
Not that she’d even noticed. She’d all but forgotten Alex. Her brows knit in concentration. All her focus was on her small, purring patient.
Better take it down a notch. Focus on the issue at hand. “Is he going to be okay?”
Cassie made a noncommittal noise, then slid the earpieces of a stethoscope into place. A few tense minutes later, her face relaxed into an easy smile. “Lungs sound good, no evidence of any kind of infection, and his heart sounds great. At least, what I can hear over the purring.” She nuzzled her face against the now ecstatic creature. “He seems none the worse for wear, just hungry and cold. It’s lucky you found him when you did—the forecast is calling for another cold front to roll in by the end of the day.”
He suppressed a shudder, despite the warmth of Cassie’s cozy kitchen. An image of the kitten, all alone in the cold, flashed through his head, and he made a mental note to pick up one of Rex’s favorite chew bones at the store later. The big dog deserved a reward, for sure.
As if reading his mind, Cassie opened a whitewashed cupboard and pulled out a box of dog biscuits.
“Can the hero here have a treat?”
“Of course. He’s off duty, and he’s definitely earned it.”
“What about you?” She tipped her chin toward the kettle on the stove. “I’ve got hot water for tea, or I can make a pot of coffee. If you have time, I mean.”
“Tea would be fine, thank you.” He normally stuck to coffee, but there was no point in her making a whole pot just for him. Maybe the coffeepot was strictly for her husband, although it didn’t look as if it had been used yet this morning. Her mug, purple with pink paw prints on it, sat alone on the empty counter, smelling of peppermint and flowers.
Come to think of it, there’d only been one car in the driveway. Her husband could have left for work already, but there was nothing in the kitchen to indicate a male presence. Surreptitiously, he scanned the room. No dirty breakfast dishes, no mugs other than hers. Even more telling, the decor ran to pastels and flowers. The evidence was circumstantial, but certainly enough to introduce reasonable doubt as to the existence of a Mr. Marshall.
Accepting the tea, he told himself it didn’t matter one way or the other. She’d made her opinion of him, and his profession, perfectly clear when they first met. But as he sat across from her in the cozy kitchen, his dog at their feet and a kitten in her lap, a new, friendlier relationship seemed possible. Which didn’t explain why he cared if she shared her home, or her bed, with another man.
He’d obviously been up too long. That was all. Sleep deprivation could mess with your mind. Everyone knew that. After a few hours’ sleep, he’d remember all the reasons he wasn’t looking for a relationship, especially with the firecracker of a redhead sitting across from him. For now, he’d drink his tea and enjoy a few minutes of company before going home to his empty apartment.
When he’d first taken the job in Paradise, he’d suggested he and his mother share a place, but she’d just chuckled and said he would need his own space for “entertaining.” Right. He’d had only one other person in his apartment since he moved to Paradise, and that was the cable guy. Between the new job and the extra training sessions he’d signed up for with Rex, he hadn’t had the time or energy for dating. Which was fine by him.
Although right now, enjoying the morning light with a beautiful woman, he wondered if he wasn’t missing out after all.
Unwilling to explore that thought, he finished his tea and stood, the chair scraping against the terrazzo floor.
Startled by the noise, the kitten leaped onto the table, nearly overturning the china cups.
“Sorry about that. I’ll get this guy out of your hair and be on my way.” He scooped up the kitten with one hand. “Thanks for checking him out—I didn’t know where else to take him.”
Cassie stood to escort him out. “What will you do with him now?”
Good question. One he hadn’t thought through yet. He’d been worried about the little guy making it. “I’ll have to keep him for a few days, I guess, while I ask around, try to find him a home.” Frustrated, he rubbed his eyes with his free hand. “Guess I’d better stop and pick up some food for him first.” He nearly groaned with frustration. His tired body was crying out for a bed, but he couldn’t let the little guy starve.
“The stores won’t even be open for another hour.” Cassie’s eyes went from man to kitten. “I can take him to the office with me, get him fed, wormed and cleaned up, and then you can pick him up before you start your shift tonight. How does that sound?”
“Like you’re my guardian angel. Thank you.”
She blushed, the pink accentuating her soft coloring. “I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for him.” Her firm tone was a contrast to the camaraderie they’d shared in the kitchen. The friendly interlude was over, it seemed.
“Either way, I appreciate it just the same. What time do you need me to come get him?”
“The clinic closes at six, so any time before then is fine.”
He could get a solid stretch of sleep and still have time to get food and the cat before his shift started. Thank heaven for small favors. And the angels who delivered them.
* * *
Cassie had spent way too much time thinking about Alex today. Really, any time thinking about Paradise Isle’s newest lawman was too much. But between Emma’s incessant questions over breakfast and the knowing looks and suggestive remarks from her staff, she’d found her attention forced to him more times than she could count. Not that it took much forcing. The sight of the rough-around-the-edges deputy cuddling an orphaned kitten had triggered something inside her, reminding her she was still a woman, not just a mother and veterinarian.
She eyed the gray bundle of fur that had triggered today’s chain of events. “You’re a troublemaker, you know that?”
The kitten in question was currently exploring her office after being evicted from the patient care area by Jillian. “He hates the cage and his crying is getting the other patients upset,” she had said when she’d deposited him on her desk an hour ago.
Absently, Cassie balled up a piece of paper and tossed it in front of the cat. Thrilled, the tiny predator pounced on it, rolling head over heels in his enthusiasm.
Once upon a time, she’d been that carefree, that eager to chase adventure. But she’d been knocked down too hard to be willing to risk tumbling end over end again. She almost envied the kitten its bravery. He’d nearly frozen to death last night and yet he still seemed fearless. Meanwhile, she was afraid of her own shadow most days.
Having her ex leave her had made it hard to trust people, but the aftermath of the car accident she and her father had been in certainly hadn’t helped. Naively, she’d assumed that the drunken deputy who hit her would face jail time, that he would pay for his actions. Instead, he’d gotten what seemed like a slap on the wrist. She’d tried to push for more, pointing out Jack’s obvious alcoholism, but the department had closed ranks around him. According to them, he’d made a simple mistake and she was just stirring up trouble. A few people had even suggested the accident might have been her fault, despite all evidence to the contrary. Logically, she knew they were wrong, but that didn’t make the nightmares or the guilt any better.
“Hey, Cassie?” Mollie, her friend and the clinic receptionist, spoke over the intercom. “Emma’s here.”
Cassie glanced at her watch. How was it already five o’ clock? “Send her back and let her know her little friend is still here.” Her daughter had fallen in love with the kitten when she saw it this morning. She’d be thrilled it hadn’t been picked up yet.
“Mommy!” Her daughter flew into the tiny office, tossing her backpack down to give Cassie a big hug. “Mollie said he’s still here! Where is he?”
Cassie laughed and pointed to the wastebasket in the corner of the room. “Look behind the trash can. I think he’d hiding back there.”
Emma, always excited by a new visitor to the clinic, scrambled out of Cassie’s lap to check it out. “Found him!” she whooped, clutching the kitty to her chest.
“Careful. Don’t squeeze him too hard.”
“I know that, Mom. I’m not a baby.” The indignation on her little face was better suited to a teenager than a preschooler, but she did have a point. Emma had grown up with foster animals and convalescing pets around the house and knew how to handle them.
“Well, this one is a bit of a troublemaker, so just be careful.” Even as she gave the warning, the little guy was trying to climb out of Emma’s arms and to scale the mini-blinds over the window. Delighted at his antics, Emma gently untangled him.
“You sure do get into trouble,” she scolded the kitten. “That should be your name—Trouble.”
Cassie laughed. “I think you’re right. That’s the perfect name. I’ll have Mollie put that on his chart.”
“Will the policeman mind that we named the kitten without him?”
